Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay
Uruguay: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 85.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
85.3%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
46th
of 155 countries
All-time high
90.3%
in 2003
All-time low
82.9%
in 2017
Years of data
19
1999–2023
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uruguay recorded 85.3% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay peaked at 90.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 82.9%, in 2017.
That places Uruguay 46th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 89.1% | — |
| 2000 | 89.1% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 89.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 89.8% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 90.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 90.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 86.4% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 85.2% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 83.5% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 83.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 83.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 83.1% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 82.9% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 84.0% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 84.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 85.9% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 86.5% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 85.3% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 85.3% | -0.0% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 85.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 85.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 54.4%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 89.1% | 89.1% | 89.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.6% | 85.2% | 90.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 83.5% | 82.9% | 84.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 85.7% | 85.3% | 86.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 43 Kyrgyzstan 85.9% compare
- 44 Sri Lanka 85.7% compare
- 45 Tunisia 85.3% compare
- 47 Armenia 84.6% compare
- 48 Netherlands 84.5% compare
- 49 Switzerland 84.1% compare
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Uruguay was 85.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.9% in 2017.
- How does Uruguay rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Uruguay ranks 46th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release